Alandi’s new Amritstambh facility is providing filtered Indrayani river water for bathing to pilgrims and devotees visiting the town, giving elderly people, women and children an alternative to entering the river. The facility is currently being operated on a trial basis and charges a maintenance fee of ₹20 per bath.
The system has been installed near the Indrayani river ghat within the Alandi Municipal Council area. It was developed by Pune-based Darshan Industries Private Limited, which is also currently handling the installation, electricity bills, maintenance and staff-related expenses.
According to company director C. P. Thakkar, the system can provide 18 litres of filtered water within six minutes. The water is drawn from the river and processed through the facility before being made available for bathing. The service is not described as a source of drinking water.
The facility includes a separate changing arrangement for women. Its stated purpose is to provide a cleaner and more accessible bathing option for devotees who may find it difficult to enter the river, particularly older citizens, young children and women. Authorities also expect it to help manage crowding at the ghat during busy periods.
The Alandi Municipal Council has provided space for the installation but has not yet taken over the operating expenses. The private company is currently meeting the costs as part of the trial initiative, while users are being charged ₹20 as a maintenance fee.
The fee has already become a point of discussion among citizens. Some residents have sought a reduction in the charge or asked that the facility be made free, arguing that lower costs would make it more accessible to ordinary pilgrims and economically weaker devotees.
Madhav Khandekar, chief officer of the Alandi Municipal Council, said the initiative was presently running on an experimental basis and that the council had provided only the required space. He said the civic body could make a financial provision in the future and take over the initiative, creating the possibility of offering the service free of cost or at a lower rate.
The arrangement places the facility at the intersection of pilgrimage management, public sanitation and riverfront use. Rather than requiring every visitor to bathe directly in the river, the system creates a controlled point for bathing near the ghat. Its longer-term continuation will depend on the council’s decision on funding, operations and the fee structure after the trial period.
For now, the Amritstambh remains a privately funded pilot operating on municipal land. The next step is for the Alandi Municipal Council to assess the trial and consider whether it will allocate funds to assume responsibility for the facility.
